Nestlé’s Culinary Brand Invests in Climate-Smart Soybean Sourcing to Boost Yields and Restore Soil Health in Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria – MAGGI, Nigeria’s leading seasoning brand from Nestlé, has announced a major expansion of its local sourcing efforts, scaling up its Regenerative Agriculture (RegenAg) initiative to support 25,000 smallholder farmers across the country. This follows the successful completion of a soybean pilot project that demonstrated the significant potential of climate-smart farming techniques.
Launched in 2023 with an investment exceeding ₦100 million, the pilot project supported 1,030 soybean farmers in adopting practices that improved their crop yields while simultaneously restoring soil health. Implemented in partnership with TechnoServe and IDH, and with technical guidance from the Centre for No-Till Agriculture (CNTA), the pilot introduced simple yet effective techniques such as cover cropping, minimal tillage, crop rotation, and hedgerows.
“Soybean is a key ingredient in MAGGI, and supporting local farmers to grow it sustainably is central to our mission,” said Funmi Osineye, Category Manager for Culinary, Nestlé Nigeria. “This is an investment in resilient food systems. By equipping farmers, especially women and youth, with regenerative agriculture skills, we are improving productivity today while protecting the land for future generations.”
The results from the pilot were compelling. One of the award-winning farmers, Engineer Lawan Abdul, shared a powerful testimonial, noting, “Since I started adopting these strategies, as we were taught in this project, my yields have increased by 100%. This was very encouraging.”
The pilot’s success has paved the way for a larger, multi-partner scale-up, now backed by AGRA and MAGGI’s parent brand, Nestlé. The broader program aims to produce at least 80,000 metric tonnes of quality grains annually, with a growing share cultivated using regenerative practices.
“This project shows what is possible when businesses, development partners and farmers work together,” added Alidu Amadu, Head of Agriculture Services, Nestlé Central & West Africa Region (CWAR).
The initiative contributes directly to Nestlé’s global ambition to source $20\%$ of its key ingredients through regenerative agricultural methods by 2025, while strongly supporting Nigeria’s broader food security and rural development goals.
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